a concert in Vienna
by pinkbeetles
Summary: "Katie was only vaguely aware of the deafening applause around her. The remnants of the glorious music still echoed in her ears, and she wanted the pianist to play again, to cast his spell over her again-" In which, Keith is a pianist and Katie is in love.


**A.N: Something I came up after a year long injury from experiencing the disaster that was season 8 of Voltron: Legendary Defender. Hopefully it doesn't suck.**

Katie growled in frustration as her pencil broke, _again_.

She had been scribbling furiously on her notepad for the past ten minutes. Her thoughts were on a roll, and it was amazing to catch hold of a scoop for once (it didn't happen often); but the lead on her HB pencil kept breaking. She had lost the electric pencil sharpener and had to make do with the simple one.

Behind her, Allura waved her hand furiously. "Hush!" she whispered as Tchaikovsky's "Waltz of the Flowers" began to close on the cassette. Katie rolled her eyes (discreetly), but refrained from making any further exclamations, for she was fond of that piece as well.

She closed her eyes and let the whirling music engulf her. In her mind's eye, she was a lone socialite dancing in the empty, golden halls of towering Victorian castles. As the tune grew faster and faster, she whirled even faster, leaped and pirouetted (again, only possible in her mind), eventually coming to a rest as the music finished to a thunderous applause.

Katie slowly opened her eyes and looked at Allura. The silver-haired, lithe woman's eyes were misty. She supposed that graduates from finishing schools were trained to have misty eyes every time a classical piece was played.

Unlike Katie, Allura _was _a socialite. Her father's business, Altea, spanned more than a hundred countries. His business helped integrate quantum technology into electronics. So far, the business' shares had rocketed sky high, so, in short, it could be said that Allura and her family were pretty rich.

It was also due to the vast amount of money sitting in Allura's bank account that she was currently sitting in a posh hotel in Vienna, Austria. And had a break from her job to enjoy a two-week vacation. Which brought her back to her notepad.

Katie let out a sigh and steeled herself to bring out some logic from everything she had scribbled. However, before she could start, Allura spoke. "Put that pencil down, Pidge! It's time for lunch."

"I'm on a roll, Allura." she protested. "I promised Iverson I'd have this piece done by next week."

"You can finish it after lunch."

Katie sighed. There was no stopping Allura when she was in tank-mode.

"Fine." she grumbled, pulling off her shawl.

Despite her nervousness about the approaching deadline, Katie couldn't help but marvel at the beautiful architecture of the hotel. Hotel Imperial had been made for Prince of Württemberg in 1863. It sent chills down her spine knowing that this palace had housed not only people like Queen Elisabeth II and Charlie Chaplin, but also cold-blooded psychopaths like Hitler and Mussolini.

The hotel still had an air of grandeur to it. If she closed her eyes, she could almost hear lilting music, clink of champagne glasses, and age-old, forgotten conversation and laughter.

Allura shook her hand to break Katie out of her reverie. "Everything alright?" she said. "You got all serious and weird."

Katie assured her that she was fine as they opened their menus. "I was just thinking about its history."

"Yes, it's does have an air of royalty around it, doesn't it? I think we''ll have something simple -" she returned to her menu, frowning slightly. "How about a Wiener Schnitzel?"

Katie choked on her glass of water. "I was thinking more around the lines of a sandwich."

"Katie!" Allura was shocked. "You can't come to Europe and eat _sandwiches_!

She shrugged. "I'm not really hungry. But if you insist."

It turned out, Wiener Schnitzel was absolutely delicious, and Katie was thankful that she had not chosen the sandwich. The meal was large, and she neither she nor Allura had any space left for desert after they finished eating.

"There's something I forgot to tell you." said Allura as they headed back to their suite after lunch. "We're attending a piano concert today."

Katie let out a groan. "Allura, at this rate, I'll never finish my report."

"You have this evening and the whole week to complete it." replied Allura indignantly. "Besides, the pianist is marvelous."

"How do you know?" asked Katie testily.

"Because I happen to know him. And no, it's not because of that -" said the latter, on noticing her raised eyebrows. "He's quite famous, and even stony critics say he's good."

"Classical?"

"Yes. His name is Keith Kogane."

Katie forgot all about the concert as soon as they reached their suite; the heavy lunch had made her drowsy and her eyelids were ready to drop. She collapsed on her duvet and promptly fell asleep.

At around five in the evening, Allura pulled off the covers on her duvet and woke her up. Before she had the chance to protest, her companion had rushed to the washroom.

"Wake up, Pidge! We leave in half an hour." came her muffled voice. She was frantically blow-drying the great masses of her white hair, which blew across her face as she spoke.

"I don't have anything formal." Katie grumbled, as she groggily made her way towards the washroom.

Allura's disheveled face appeared at the door, looking affronted. "Bullshit!" she yelled. "We bought one before we left! Where's your black blazer?"

Still in her sleepy haze, Katie opened her suitcase. Right at the bottom was the double buttoned black blazer – like Allura had said.

Allura bustled out of the washroom, wiping her hands on a towel. "Freshen up quickly, Pidge. I have to do my makeup and then yours as well."

Katie scrunched her nose. "I'm not wearing any makeup."

"Actually, a little foundation will protect you from the bright lights in the hall."

She relented. It was best to leave such matters to her friend. "When's the concert?" she called out.

"Around nine? That's what the programme said. We'll have an early dinner before we leave."

Once Katie had washed her face and put on the blazer, she checked herself in the mirror. She didn't look too bad; it fit her quite well. The fabric felt warm and comfortable on her skin. Mentally thanking Allura for her smart choice, she headed out of the washroom.

Allura looked beautiful in a black halter neck ball gown with a floral design. She had woven her hair into an intricate braid and was applying some last touches to her makeup.

On hearing Katie's footsteps, she spun around and beamed. "You look lovely!" she beckoned. "I knew the blazer would look amazing on you."

Katie sat down on the stool in front of the mirror. "Keep it simple, Allura." she begged. "I don't want anything fancy."

"I'm not doing much to your hair." Allura said, squeezing some moisturizer in her palm. "And a very light coat of makeup – trust me, you'll look gorgeous."

"I hope the pianist is worth it." she muttered, as Allura placed the moisturizer on the dressing table.

The sky gradually turned blood red, as Vienna edged towards nightfall. Wispy remains of clouds drifted along the horizon.

At the end of their beauty session, Allura stood up and grinned. "There!"

She did look good, Katie thought, as she surveyed her face in the large mirror. Her face looked less pale, and there was a pinkish tinge near her cheeks. Allura had applied something in her hair, due to which it was now smooth and flaxen.

After being coerced into wearing a silver pair of hoop earrings, Katie declared that they were ready to leave.

As they drove down in a yellow taxi, Katie gazed outside

the golden lights of Vienna. She devoured the sights as they sped past. Allura wasn't so enthralled; but then again, she had completed her schooling in Switzerland. For Katie, however, this was a glorious experience. Vienna was a city right from the pages of history; where aristocracy lived, where resided the remnants of age-old posh culture. She had only seen it in pictures in the past; right now, she was breathing, _living _in it.

The restaurant where they dined was equally posh as their hotel. This time, they chose smaller meals, so as to gain a wider experience of Viennese cuisine. They had Kalbsleberknödel, which were veal liver dumplings, served in beef soup. They also tried an old-style Viennese chicken soup. Both were absolutely delicious, and they wanted second helpings. Desert, however, was the crowning delight of all. Sachertorte was heavenly; Katie had never tasted anything equal to it. The apricot filling inside the chocolate cake was amazing, and the dense chocolate icing even more so.

"Well, the dinner was worth all the hassle." Katie said, as they drove towards the concert. "I don't really care if the concert is boring after this."

"It won't be." Allura promised. "You're in for a treat, Pidge; Keith always delivers an amazing performance."

They reached with about half an hour to spare. People were slowly filing into the hall. The posh scent of expensive perfume drifted in the air. Everyone was dressed in expensive coats and gowns, and Katie began to feel a bit nervous. She had never attended such a concert before.

Allura smiled reassuringly. "You'll be fine." she whispered, as they made their way to their seats. "I know, it might feel a bit stressful now, but I assure you – you'll forget it once Keith starts to play."

Feeling slightly less nervous, Katie sat down and made herself comfortable. The pianist was due any minute now.

"What's the name of the piece that he's going to play?" she whispered, as the lights dimmed slightly.

"It's on your programme -" Allura began to say but broke off as the pianist appeared and the audience began to clap.

Katie glanced down at the programme she had clutched, but it was too dark to read anything.

"I can't read -" she started to whisper, but broke off almost immediately as the pianist began to play.

His fingers moved deftly yet gently; but it was those movements that left Katie speechless.

The tide of music crashed around her and blanketed her. At that moment, only she and the pianist existed.

She couldn't quite place her finger on the emotion of the music. It was serious, and yet hopeful; a lonely voice aching for happiness. It was the color of sunset, the fading moment between dusk and night. It danced around her, it reeled her in, and stole her mind. The notes moved the way waves crashed on the shore, and drew back gently.

And then suddenly, the music became deeper, graver, out of the blue; but then again, that was where it had been heading. Then suddenly it soared upwards, rushing towards the sky through her hair. And then dove downwards again, with the beautiful agility of an eagle. It hurtled toward the ground; fearless, daring anything to obstruct its path.

At the very last moment, it pulled out of its dive, in the glorious arc in which seagulls rise from the water; it rose higher and grew lighter, and burst into a million sunbeams.

Katie was only vaguely aware of the deafening applause around her. The remnants of the glorious music still echoed in her ears, and she wanted the pianist to play again, to cast his spell over her again –

"Pidge? Pidge!" Allura hissed near her. "Are you alright? Why do you look so weird?"

People had stood up and were clapping till their palms ached. A standing ovation and more was what the pianist deserved.

"Allura -" she leaned towards her. "Whatever you said about him -"

"What about him?"

"– was a _terrible_ understatement."

Allura grinned. "I told you, Keith's a genius. We can meet him if you want. He'll be in the lobby, but we have to be quick, or the others will get him first."

As they made their way towards the exit, Katie realized that Allura had been right: people were rushing to meet the young musician. He was quite handsome, too; Katie had been quite lost in the music to properly examine the musician's features, but she hadn't failed to notice his good looks.

"How do you know him?" she asked.

"My mom and his were roommates. We've been good friends ever since we were kids." Allura explained. "We never lost touch, even during college, when he was studying music."

Keith was talking to an old lady dressed in a grey gown which was cinched at the waist. She said something, and he nodded and smiled. On noticing Allura, his face broke into a wide smile and he excused himself. The lady smiled and patted his shoulder, before leaving.

"Allura!" he said, as he made his way towards them. "How are you?"

"Great, especially after hearing your music again." she grinned, as they embraced. "I can't thank you enough for sending those tickets. It was amazing, every second of it – even Katie here felt so."

"Hi, Katie." He smiled, extending a hand. "I'm Keith."

She felt her stomach swoop in. "Hi." she said, taking his hand. It was warm, and she could swear the nerves on her palms were tingling. "I absolutely loved your performance."

"Katie and I were roommates in Columbia." said Allura conversationally. "We're taking a vacation here in Austria."

"Really? We're here on vacation as well. How long are you staying?"

"Two weeks – wait, who else is with you?"

"Lance." Keith grinned, as Allura groaned. "He's been dying to see you again. Lance is a mutual friend, the troublemaker -" he explained to Katie. "– but he's not the bad sort. Allura can't stand him, though."

"I would, if he wasn't such a terrible flirt." Allura sighed. "And let's not begin on his one liners."

"Wait, do you mean Lance McClain?" Katie asked. "As in the beauty vlogger?"

"The very man." He laughed. "You and Allura were roommates, huh? Has her fashion sense improved since high school? There was this one rainbow dress she -"

Katie laughed, as Allura mock-punched Keith. "That was tenth grade, okay!"

"Still," he grinned, "I'm surprised someone hired you as a _fashion writer_ -"

They were laughing so much, that Katie had completely lost track of the time; glancing down at her wrist, she saw that it was nearing ten.

"Sorry guys, I have to leave now. I have a dinner invitation, plus Lance is blowing up my phone with notifications." said Keith finally, coughing a little. "It was great meeting you all. Though Evans did say I could bring friends." He said, pulling out a fancy card from the inside of his coat. "It'd be great if you could join me."

"I'm sorry, Keith." Allura said apologetically. "We had dinner already, and both of us ate a lot. But it'd be amazing if we could meet up again."

"If you guys don't have much on your schedule, then maybe you could join us in touring Vienna for the next two weeks?" he asked, unfazed. "Lance would be more than happy if you came."

"I don't know -" she began, but Katie cut her off.

"We'd love to." she almost shouted. "That is, if you guys are okay with it."

Keith looked momentarily startled, and then smiled. "It's no problem for us."

Allura looked at her oddly. "Well, Allura? What about you?" He prompted.

"Oh, we'd love to." She echoed Katie, who was determinedly looking anywhere but at her.

"Great!" His face broke into a broad smile. "I'll send you the details once I get home. See you."

Allura gave her that quizzical look once again.

"Well, we really didn't have anything planned." Katie said defensively, as they left the lobby. "Plus, you guys hadn't met in a long time. You said so yourself!"

Allura smiled, as though she was sharing an inside joke with herself. "You do realize this trip will involve meeting new people, right? Pidge, you hate socializing."

"I'm trying to break out of that habit. It isn't healthy." She gave a non-committal shrug.

"That's good." said Allura, who was clearly trying to restrain a smirk.

"What?" Katie demanded as they entered their cab.

"Nothing!" she said hastily.

Katie rolled her eyes and leaned against the window. Allura was now trying to suppress snorts of laughter.

As they sped back to their hotel, Katie realized that in the excitement of the night she had completely forgotten to check up the name of the piece.

**A.N: Which better place for classical music than Vienna? I've done my research, hopefully I've not offended any Austrian Voltron fans. If you guys have any opinions on the story, or music, or even Vienna, do share them with me.**

**Also, I will post more chapters (in case anyone reads this one).**

**Irrelevant, but I really want to rant about the last season. It's been a year, I know, but I'm still sore. I started watching it again (because, to be fair, season 1 and 2 **_**were**_** good) but I'm not ready for the shitstorm after season 2.**

***sighs***

**A disappointed multishipper,**

**mohor**


End file.
